Most young people enjoy some forms of physical activity. It may be walking, cycling, swimming, or in winter, skating or skiing. It may be a game of some forms—football, basketball, hockey, golf or tennis. It may be mountaineering.
Those who have a passion for climbing high and difficult mountains are often looked upon with astonishment. Why are men and women willing to suffer cold and hardship, and to take risks in high mountains? This astonishment is caused, probably, by the difference between mountaineering and other forms of activity to which men give their leisure.
Mountaineering is a sport and not a game. There are no man-made rules, as others, as there are for such games as golf and football. There are, of course, rules of different kinds which would be dangerous to ignore, but it is this freedom from man-made rules that makes mountaineering attractive to many people. Those who climb mountains are free to use their own methods.
If we compare mountaineering with other more familiar sports, we might think that one big difference is that mountaineering is not a “team game”. We should be mistaken in this. There are, it is true, no “matches” between “teams” of climbers, but when climbers are on a rock face linked by a rope on which their lives may depend, there is obviously teamwork.
The mountain climber knows that he may have to fight forces that are stronger and more powerful than man. He has to fight the forces of nature. His sport requires high mental and physical qualities.
A mountain climber continues to improve in skills year by year. A skier is probably past his best by the age of thirty. But it is not unusual for men of fifty or sixty to climb the highest mountains in the Alps. They may take more time than younger men, but they perhaps climb with more skills and less waste of effort, and they certainly experience equal enjoyment.What sports are popular among people in winter in the passage?
| A．Soccer and golf. | B．Skiing and skating. |
| C．Cycling and hockey. | D．Mountaineering. |
The underlined word “passion” in Paragraph 2 could best be replaced by ______.
| A．strong emotion | B．good way |
| C．better feeling | D．enough affection |
Mountaineering is a sport, not a game because_______.
| A．it has man-made rules |
| B．it is too dangerous for climbers |
| C．it can’t bring people joy or leisure |
| D．it is free for climbers to use their own methods |
We know from the passage that _______.
| A．mountaineering has no appeal for people |
| B．physical quality is more important than mental one for climbers |
| C．a mountain climber passes his best by the age of thirty |
| D．it is possible for an old man of fifty or sixty to climb the Alps |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Sports in winter | B．Team work in climbing |
| C．Mountaineering | D．The quality for mountaineering |
Nickname:Hawaii’s Island of Adventure
Size: 4,028 square miles
Population: 148,677．The most heavily populated areas are Hilo on the east side and Kailua-Kona on the west.
Temperature: Averages between 71°F and 77°F year around .
Beaches: 47 ; Golf Courses: 20 ; Highest Peak: Mauna Kea, 13,796 feet.
Agriculture: The bulk (主体) of Hawaii’s farming products are grown and processed on the Big Island, including coffee, macadamia nuts and papaya.
Hotels: 9,655 rooms total; Nightly rates range from $ 35—$ 5,000.
Airports: Hilo International Airport on the east side and Kona International Airport on the west side.
Rental Cars: All of the nationally known rental car companies have locations at Hilo International and Kona International Airports as well as many resorts．In addition, Hilo, Kona and the major resort areas are serviced by taxi.
Resources: Call (800) 648—2441 to order a video, poster, brochures and maps from the Big Island Visitors Bureau．See www.bigisland.org for updated information.
Shopping:The large shopping centers are in Hilo, Kona, Waimea and the Kohala Coast.The passage is intended to be read by _______.
| A．students | B．businessmen | C．tourists | D．immigrants |
The average population per square mile on the island is about _________.
| A．28 | B．32 | C．37 | D．44 |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a traffic means to get around the Big Island?
| A．By train． | B．By air． | C．By rental car． | D．By taxi. |
When I was six years old, my mom told me that I could find anyone's number in the phone book. I used to look through the phone book for hours trying to find Michael Jordan's phone number. When I couldn't find it, I just dialed seven numbers. When someone answered, I'd ask, "Is that Michael Jordan?" Obviously, I always had the wrong number.
A year later I started playing basketball at my local recreation center. It was very big. I never thought in my wildest dreams that a basketball court could be inside a building. The recreation center had a special smell in it, sort of like hot rubber. I guessed it was from the shoes hitting the floor so fast and hard. The atmosphere on the court was carefree. Our biggest excitement of the day was when we actually made a shot. We celebrated wins over ice cream at a fast food restaurant.
I got good at it, and my confidence grew. I played it all the time until the sixth grade. As soon as junior high school came, I stopped playing basketball and focused on school. When senior high school started, I tried out for the school team and made it. We worked hard. Every week we did 300 push-ups and 300 sit-ups on our own. Our coach encouraged the sit-ups to keep stomach power, because it gave us so much control when we were playing basketball. If we didn't want to do the sit-ups and push-ups, we could practice dribbling (运球) and shooting more. It's just us, the ball, the court and the net. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself. After all, I'm just one kid playing the game.From Paragraph 1 we know that ____.
| A．the author's mother gave him some wrong phone numbers |
| B．the phone book contained everyone's phone number except Michael Jordan's |
| C．the author wanted to contact Michael Jordan very much |
| D．the author didn't know how to use a phone at that time |
What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．The days of the author playing basketball at a recreation center. |
| B．The author's excitement of making shots when playing basketball. |
| C．The days before the author went to senior high school. |
| D．The author's happy childhood with his teammates. |
What surprised the author most at the recreation center?
| A．That it was very near to his home. |
| B．That there was a basketball court inside the building. |
| C．That there was a special smell in it. |
| D．That there was a fast food restaurant in it. |
The author's coach encouraged them to do sit-ups because ____.
| A．it is the basic preparation to play basketball |
| B．it is more useful than dribbling and shooting |
| C．it is the only way to make people stronger |
| D．it helps keep stomach power |
What's the author's purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To introduce some skills in playing basketball. |
| B．To tell us about his dream of becoming a basketball star. |
| C．To introduce his own experience of playing basketball. |
| D．To tell us how to balance playing basketball and studying. |
There are robots all around us. Some do very complicated jobs like flying airplanes and driving subway trains. and some do one simple job. When an automatic washing machine is switched on, water pours in. The machine waits until the water is warm enough for washing clothes. It does this by “feedback”(反馈). Information about what is happening is feedback into the robot to tell what to do next. Our eyes, ears and other senses are our feedback. They tell us what is going on around us. So robots are like human beings in two ways. They work and they have feedback.
In some ways robots are better than human beings. They work quickly and do not make mistakes. They do not get bored doing the same job over and over again. And they never get tired. So robots are very useful in factories. They can be taught to do many different jobs. First their electronic brain must be shown how the job is done. A person moves the robot’s “arms” and “hands” through each part of the job.
The most intelligent robots can move and see. Their eyes are cameras. Their fingers can feel shapes and sizes of the objects. These robots have computer brains linked to their eyes and fingers, which control their actions. The expensive robots are used in scientific research. They do such job as handling radioactive materials.In this passage the author tells us that ________.
| A．robots are very popular |
| B．there are various kinds of robots |
| C．we see robots only at certain times |
| D．robots can be easily controlled |
What does the author seem to inform you about robots?
| A．They should be greatly improved. |
| B．They will probably take over in the future. |
| C．They are very helpful and useful to humans. |
| D．They are machines that break down a lot. |
The author says that in industry ________.
| A．robots break down a lot |
| B．robots can do many jobs |
| C．robots only get in the way |
| D．robots sometimes cause troubles |
The fact that a robot never gets bored doing the same job means that _______.
| A．it is very much like human beings |
| B．it can do boring jobs for people |
| C．it will never bore people |
| D．it will work much better than human beings |
The robots used for scientific research _______.
| A．are not very clever | B．are very cheap |
| C．are very big | D．are very costly |
For the first time in Hong Kong’s history, an entertainer has been written into middle school textbooks. He is considered one of the best actors in Hong Kong. Yes, he is Chow Yun-fat.
The example of his long hard struggle for success has been used in a chapter in a Hong Kong middle school textbook. Using his experience, students can learn to make the most of their time and to grab every opportunity to succeed．
On hearing about this, Chow said happily, “I really hope that my experiences can make young people understand that one should not be afraid of difficulties and setbacks (挫折), for they are the only way to success.”
Indeed, Chow has travelled a long and difficult path to reach his success. In 1955, he was born into a poor family in Hong Kong. When he was 17, he had to leave school. He worked in a number of jobs—as a postman, camera salesman and taxi driver. These experiences paved (铺路) the way for him to play all kinds of roles later in life.
Chow broke into the film industry in the late 1970s. He was one of the hardest working actors and starred in a number of popular TV dramas and films including “Shanghai Bund”(《上海滩》) and “A Better Tomorrow”. Since 1985, he has won many awards including Taiwan's Golden Horse Awards and Hong Kong Film Awards.
In 1995, he went to Hollywood. Although he was already over 40, he had to learn English. He even put chopsticks in his mouth to practise pronouncing certain sounds. His film, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”, began to gain him more fame and recognition around the world. In 1998, the mayor of Chicago set aside January 12 as “Chow Yun-fat Day”.Chow Yun-fat has been written into middle school textbooks mainly because ________.
| A．he plays best in Hong Kong |
| B．he keeps on struggling for success |
| C．his experiences are very special |
| D．he is well thought of |
Chow felt ________ when he learned that he had been written into middle school textbooks.
| A．surprised | B．shy | C．sad | D．happy |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Chow Yun-fat is proud of his success. |
| B．Chow Yun-fat prefers to make a living by selling cameras rather than by performing. |
| C．Chow Yun-fat has won more awards than other actors. |
| D．Chow Yun-fat is popular both at home and abroad. |
The underlined sentence (in paragraph 6) suggests ________.
| A．chopsticks is of great help to practise English pronunciation |
| B．Chow Yun-fat is willing to struggle with difficulties |
| C．Chow Yun-fat has suffered a lot before he went to Hollywood |
| D．it is hard for a person who is over 40 years old to learn spoken English |
The author wrote this passage to ________.
| A．introduce Chow’s films |
| B．praise Chow for his excellent performance |
| C．call on people to learn from Chow |
| D．show why Chow is popular |
We must do what we can to protect the plants because plants are very important for living things. Life could not go on if there were no plants. This is because plants can make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals and man cannot make food from air, water and sunlight. Animals get their food by eating plants and other animals. Therefore animals and man need plants in order to live. This is why we find that there are so many plants around us.
If you look carefully at the plants around you, you will find that there are two kinds of plants: flowering plants and non-flowering plants. Flowering plants can make seeds. The seeds are protected by the fruits. Some fruits have one seed, some have two, three or four, and some have many seeds. But a few fruits have no seeds at all. An example of a fruit without seeds is the banana fruit. Most non-flowering plants do not grow from seeds. They grow from spores（胚芽）. Spores are very small. Some spores are so small and light that they can float in the air. We may say that spores are quite the same as seeds. When these spores are all on wet and shady places, they usually grow into new plants.Plants can make food from______.
| A．flower, water and air | B．water, sunlight and air |
| C．air, water and soil | D．air, sun and light |
The main idea of the first paragraph is that ______.
| A．plants are important for life |
| B．plants cannot grow without air |
| C．there are many plants in the world |
| D．we can not live without water |
What can we infer（推断） from the passage？
| A．Of all living things animals are most important |
| B．Spores are seeds |
| C．All fruits of flowering plants have seeds |
| D．Without plants, man will die out |
This passage may be taken from______.
| A．a medicine book | B．a novel |
| C．a science magazine | D．an experiment report |
The underlined word “protected” in the passage can be replaced by ______.
| A．damaged | B．polluted | C．prevented | D．guarded |